Monthly Mingle # 6: Give Thanks Roundup

Come sit with me awhile. Sit and enjoy the serenity and the warmth of the sun. Sit and think about how many things you have in your life to be thankful for.

Serenity is currently one of my favorite photos and also # 8 in the Flickr Favorites in my most popular photos. It was taken on a wonderful early Fall morning when Soeren and I went for a nice walk. It was a great day as we fooled around and sat on this bench munching on raisins and just enjoying the peacefulness around us. One of those days I was thankful to be able to cherish.

This was a fun Mingle. Keeping with the time of year, I had asked you to take a few minutes and think about what you are thankful for this year. And you all did. You thanked with open hearts and were thankful for so many beautiful things. It was great reading through all your touching posts.

What I really enjoyed this time round was that I had so many entries from my fellow Indian Bloggers. That was so very comforting to see you all come over with such wonderful dishes.

Before I go into the roundup I'd just like to take this opportunity and inform you of some interesting news. As many of you know I also write The Daily Tiffin. I recently decided to expand on the concept of the Daily Tiffin and offer a wider spectrum on information focussing on Family lifestyle. The "new" Daily Tiffin comes to you with a fantastic team of four lovely ladies, many of you will recognize the names, and several contributors. You can read more about our ideas and concept here.

One more: The Monthly Mingle will be taking a break over the Christmas season and will come back in the New Year. All I will reveal is think warm for January. Make sure you stay updated and don't miss the announcement in January.

OK! That was it and now - The Give Thanks Roundup.Update: Meenakshi's mail unfortunately landed in my spam folder so I missed it. I am glad we got in touch again because I would have missed the chance to share these lovely Masala Alu Paranthas. Meena thanks her Ma for being an inpiration to her in the kitchen. Thank you Meena.

I was wondering where Isis was. It seems I missed her entry completely and I think I know what hapened. Anyway, Isis I am glad you are still around as I have not heard from you in ages. She makes a lovely Apple Cake and says thanks to her mother. Her mother has supported her through everything. Aren't mums great. Isis bisous to you.

Vaishali recently moved to India. Packed her bags and kitchen and left without looking back. But before she did she baked some fluffy looking Pineapple Coconut Muffins and thanked her kid cousin.

Sarah, who loves Thanksgiving but forgets the thanks part was encouraged to say thank you to her husband. She serves up his favorite Egg McMao.

Priya, says a huge thank you to everyone who was involved in making her a Foodie. Starting with her parents she writes a very touching post. To say thank you she comes over with a truck load of Rasgulla and Rasmalai. Two of my 3 fave Indian desserts.

I had mentioned above that 2 of my 3 fave Indian desserts were part of one entry and now here comes the third! Lakshmiammal brings along fantastic looking Kala Jamun. She thanks all her friends who helped her through her hard times when she first moved to the US. It's great to have such great friends. Lakshmiammal I thank you for showing me that these are so easy to make.

My lovely dear friend Nandita thanks her husband for his support and encouragement and she cooks up an amazing Egg Curry. It is so full of flavor that it even comes with a warning. Thank you Sweetie.

This is Nalini's first blog event. Nalini thank you for making it to the Monthly Mingle. She makes a traditional Tamil dish which is used in the festival of Pongal - a harvest festival, Venn Pongal. It really is a dish packed with flavor.

Lisa, my dearest! Lisa also takes this moment to thank Hubbs, who drives her crazy and comforts her. For Hubbs she says a special thanks by cooking up his favorite Seared Scallops with Ginger-Lime Sauce. Looks so delicious, Lisa. Thank you!

Asha has a way with words. She wraps her arms around the world and says thanks to all her Blog friends. She cooks up a lovely hearty breakfast.

Sandeepa writes up a beautiful post. She has a few lovely people she is thankful for. I am thankful that she joins us and shares a gorgeous looking Rajma Keema. Great combination!

My friend Shaheen gives her thanks to her little family and her blog friends. She brings to the mingle a recipe I died for when I read it. Roast Chicken and Neriya Pathiri. Look out for the recipe of the Neriya Pathiri when Shaheen returns from her short break. In the meantime drool over the chicken.

Vidya was inspired by the theme to participate and to make a rich Fruit Cake. She thanks her family, friends and bloggers. Perfect fruit cake Vidya and thanks for coming over with it!

Our first and only drink for the Mingle, Ladies. But don't worry I am sure Esther has made enough Egg Nog for double portions. She dedicates the post to her friend - the only one in France who knew what an Egg Nog was. Do you know what it is?

Jayashree says that Indians have a hard time saying thank you, but show their thanks in their actions. Well I say, actions often speak louder than words. She takes a moment and thanks her husband, daughter, family and friends. She serves a full of flavor Tomato Rice.

@ thanks her mother-in-law for coming over from India to the US to look after her grandkid. As a thank she bakes a warm and tasty Zucchini Bread.

Praveena has been cooking recipes from fellow bloggers and she is so thankful about all that. Her husband will never have to eat the same thing twice. I know what she means. She comes over to the mingle with a Chickpea Pulusu.

Mandira bakes her first cake from scratch and says thanks to her family and friends. She makes a rich Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream inspired by bloggers. Lovely looking cake.

Chandrika has a wonderful blog. She also brings a very interesting dish - Potato Sticks Curry and says thanks to her DH for putting up with her tantrums!

Finally I received a wonderful mail from The Cook. She is in the process of setting up her blog but really wanted to be a part of the Mingle. She says thank you to her in-laws for sending her a stove-top tandoor. In their honor she cooks up Tandoori Tharkari. Here is The Cooks recipe:

1. Mix yogurt, vinegar, red chilli powder, cinnamon powder, nutmeg, garam masala powder, salt, sugar, ginger paste, garlic paste2. Poke both cauliflower florets and Yam with a fork3. Marinate cauliflower florets and Yam in the mixture from (1) over night4. Next day, arrange them in skewers alternating cauliflower florets and Yam chunks5. Arrange them in a grill/tandoor and cook till tender6. Reserve the marinated liquid7. Take a pan, add onion and fry till it turns golden brown8. Add the reserved marinated liquid to the pan9. Add tomato paste and bring it to a boil10. While boiling, add the grilled veggies and simmer till the gravy thickens11. Add salt to taste, if needed12. garnish with cilantro.

Serve hot with Roti or Naan.

Ooops I almost forgot myself! I took part in a wonderful project recently, which brought a lovely baking cookbook to my doorstep. I baked a fruity and full of flavor Cranberry Upside Downer and said thanks to a few who have accompanied me through my blog escapades and to my wonderful parents.

Once again I thank you all for being a part of the Monthly Mingle. I appreciate all your effort, love and care you put inot each dish. I also hope you enjoyed yourself here.

Hi Meeta, I came here via BlogLily. I think this is a great blog and I love all the new ideas and information about cooking and lunches. I want to bake the brownies! But I can't find the recipe anywhere - please would you point me to it? Thanks, CharlottePS I also live in Germany and am here because of a software company!

Your 'give thanks' theme was such a good idea, Meeta. So often we don't thank people enough and this is a great way of showing our love and gratitude to all the important people in our lives. Even though I did not take part in this (I will, the next time, I promise!) I've been reading posts of others who took part in the MM and have enjoyed it immensely.

That was a lovely round-up Meeta ! Thank you again for coming up with the theme. Jayashree was soo true in saying we use words less when thanking ppl. But a simple thank you put in words makes the relationship soo much more stronger and special :-)

Wonderful round up meeta..... I have never been able to take part in this because of my ever busy schedule. But I always make it a point to go through it regularly...... You too have a way with words my dear :)...... Hope to join you guys sometime next year. :)

That's quite a delicious spread you have! and very nice expressive thank you's!So thank you again Meeta for hosting this wonderful event. It gave me quite a thrill to see my name and thumbnail picture of the recipe in your blog!!:-))

Meeta. U do such a beautiful job of bringing the people of differing blogs close together..Have a happy Thanksgiving!Lovely post on the round u p and the thanksgiving photo. Thanks also for making me write the giving thanks post. It felt good.

Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hello, I am Meeta a freelance food photographer, stylist and writer living in the cuturally rich city of Weimar, Germany with my husband and our son, where I enjoy preparing multi-cultural home cooked meals with fresh organic ingredients. What's for lunch, Honey? is my award winning food blog where I combine my love for food with my love for photography and styling...